by Isabella R. Moyer

we have a pastor pope!

I’m still relishing the first days of the new papacy. My hopes were not high as the conclave approached. The top contenders seemed to be more of the same old, same old. I SO wanted to have the WOW factor with a new pope. And, the WOW factor we got!

Many spoke of the need for a pope who would be a true pastor. I did not realize how much we needed this until Pope Francis stepped out on the papal balcony. Each day, proof of his true pastor’s heart makes head-lines around the world. Tomorrow, he will be celebrating the traditional Holy Thursday mass with the foot washing at the chapel of the Casal del Marmo Penitential Institute for Minors (IPM) in Rome. It will be a simple mass, with no live coverage. Not turning the gesture into a photo op makes it even more genuine.

My catholic dialogue column in this week’s issue of the Prairie Messenger has little to say that hasn’t already been said about Pope Francis, but here it is…